Scéalta – The Early Childhood Ireland Blog

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Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

By Emma Reilly

Tuesday 04 May 2021

In Scéalta this week Emma Reilly reflects on how access to books in her early childhood gave her a lifelong love of books and reading. She outlines how the Dolly Parton Imagination Library is now giving children in Dublin 24, and in some parts of Cork City, that same opportunity.
tags blogChildhood Development Initiativedolly parton libraryDolly Partons Imagination Librarydoodle dendoodle familiesscéalta
94 views
0 comments
folder EnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship Building

Aistear in Úlla Beag

By Denise Sheridan

Monday 26 April 2021

My name is Denise Sheridan and I set up Úlla Beag in 2010 as an inclusive green school. Our approach to curriculum is ‘Play based learning delivered through Aistear’.  I wanted to have an outdoor play environment, similar to what I grew up in, for my own children as well as children in the locality and there was no […]
tags aistear blogblogenvironmentsnatural environmentnutritional learning
1678 views
2 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

Draft Primary Curriculum

By Milica Atanackovic

Monday 19 April 2021

  The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) is reviewing and redeveloping the 1999 primary curriculum. Read the Draft Primary Curriculum Framework here. The current phase of consultation on the draft is now complete, with further re-engagement in 2021/2022. Early Childhood Ireland (ECI) welcomes the draft curriculum framework for primary school and the consultative approach and […]
tags AistearcurriculumECECNCCA
1345 views
0 comments
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Aistear in Kilbehenny National School

By Mark O Connell

Monday 12 April 2021

  In 2019, we introduced Aistear to Kilbehenny National School for the very first time. Kilbehenny NS is a mixed rural school in south County Limerick, at the foot of the Galtee mountains and also very close to the Cork and Tipperary boundary. In our school, we promote a caring, happy, hands on and safe […]
tags Aistearchild ledChildhoodCreativitycurriculumGames
1406 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship BuildingResearch

Powerful Women – inspiring researchers

By Catherine Mc Hugh

Tuesday 06 April 2021

  Spring 2019 saw the introduction of Early Childhood Ireland’s ‘Early Pedagogy’ Magazine. It is fitting that our first edition celebrated some of the most inspiring women from Ireland and beyond who have helped to shape and develop our Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare settings with the ‘child-centred’ approach it demonstrates today. […]
tags Early Learning and CareOnline Research SymposiumresearchSchool Age ChildcareWendy LeeWomenwomen in research
1569 views
0 comments
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Using Early Childhood Ireland’s Learning Hub to support a safe environment

By Greg Merrin

Monday 29 March 2021

Some readers may know me from my work, but if we haven’t spoken before, my name is Greg and I work with the Early Years Employer Service team in Early Childhood Ireland. I assist and support many of our members in implementing the Early Years regulations within their settings. One of the main regulations we […]
tags child safeguardingCOVIDdevelopmentFire Safetylearning hubpresentation skillsQRFRegulation 23Return to WorkSkillnettimekeeping skillsTrainingTUSLAupskilling
1477 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningResearch

COVID-19 Impacts & Findings –ELC Iceland

By Dr. Ingibjorg Sigurdardottir

Monday 22 March 2021

In Iceland, preschool is the first level of schooling even though it is neither compulsory nor free of charge. The preschools are for children between the ages of one to six years old and most children at this age attend preschools up to 9 hours per day. Iceland is one of the Nordic countries which […]
tags ChildrenCOVIDCOVID-19IcelandNordic modelparentspreschoolsresearch
1604 views
0 comments
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Closures & Re-openings – Early Years UK

By Nathan Archer

Monday 15 March 2021

COVID-19 closures Over the last year in England, schools and early years settings have been through various stages of closure and reopening as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Noticeably, there have been different policies and guidance issued for primary schools and other early childhood settings. In the current lockdown, from 4 January, childminders, state […]
tags blogChildrenCOVID-19guardianplayscéaltaScéalta BlogSíoltaSummerUKUK Government
1137 views
0 comments
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Book Magic

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 02 March 2021

  Over the past year I have found it interesting that during these strange times it is the power of stories and reading that are being used most as settings connect remotely with children and families. We have seen, heard of and shared so many creative approaches that settings have used to stay in touch […]
tags booksChildren's Book ClubLearning through StorytellingreadingReading TimeStorytellingWorld book dayworldbookday
1253 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningResearch

Don’t let the research journey end

By Laura Maher

Monday 22 February 2021

‘Research is a tool, and when you learn what it does, how it is used and why we use it, it becomes invaluable to our professional practice’ (MacNaughton, et al 2010). This description of research has stayed with me throughout my years studying early childhood education. It is a constant reminder of how important it […]
tags Children's Research Networkearly childhood ireland researchearly year’s classroomsearly years researchNational Early Childhood Research ConferenceOnline Research Symposium
1496 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningRelationship Building

Ramblings of a Home-schooling Mum

By Gillian Moore

Friday 12 February 2021

As I sat down to write this blog post, I decided I would give it a witty title then could not think of one so googled home-schooling. That was two hours ago. I foolishly clicked into something called “easy home-schooling ideas”. None of them seemed that easy and now I think I’ve been doing it […]
tags ChildrenChildren and familiesCovid pandemicCOVID-19homeschool
2613 views
0 comments
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STEAM Education and playing outdoors.

By Anne Marie Morrin and Dr Maeve Liston

Tuesday 09 February 2021

When devising learning experiences, the most interesting conversations often revolve around the children’s immediate environments. The outdoors and natural environment can foster children’s curiosity and imagination as well as encouraging observation, experimentation, manipulating of materials, and testing skills. Outdoor play and explorations in open spaces (natural and built environments such as schools’ playgrounds, parks, gardens, […]
tags built environmentsGrowing up Outdoorsnatural environmentoutdoor playscientific and artistic processesSTEAM
1402 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningRelationship BuildingWell-being

The Beauty of Partnership in a Challenging Time

By Racheal Govan

Monday 01 February 2021

Partnership with parents and families in the early years is at the foundations of all aspects, the philosophy, ethos and curricular approach to name a few. These are all informed by how we develop an inclusive and engaging educational setting for both the children and their parents/guardians. This year and last year have proved challenging […]
tags blogpartnershippartnership with familiesscéaltaSíolta
2043 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship Building

Quarantine Children – Learning to adapt during lockdown

By Yvonne O'Keeffe

Monday 25 January 2021

Learning to adapt while maintaining positive child & family interactions during the lockdown During the first lockdown from March through to the end of June 2020, the team at Cottage Childcare, Killavullen designed a unique weekly template as a means of staying connected with the children and families of our service. This template was filled […]
tags an postblogCovid-19 lockdownquarantinescéaltaSíolta
1362 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship BuildingTransitionsWorkplace relations

Carol Duffy, master of the outdoors

By Lilian Joyce

Monday 18 January 2021

Last month we said a fond farewell to our colleague Carol Duffy, who retired from Early Childhood Ireland after nearly 40 years of working in the early years. Back in the 1980s, there were no childcare regulations, no accredited training for early year educators and no funding for Early Learning and Care services. There were, […]
tags blogEarly Childhood IrelandplayleaderscéaltaSíolta
1260 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship Building

Kindness Elves

By Eilish Balfe

Friday 08 January 2021

Happy Days Childcare, Ratoath winning the Inspired Practice Award has been a tremendous boost to everyone involved in our service and most especially in this difficult Covid dominated year. It is personally a huge boost as it gives recognition to all my team’s and my own hard work over these past 7 years in establishing […]
tags Early Childhood IrelandInspired Practice AwardKindnessKindness Challengemulti-generational community
777 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningRelationship BuildingWorkplace relations

Christmas connections through social media!

By Kathleen Tuite

Tuesday 15 December 2020

Now that Christmas is just around the corner you might be thinking of ways to share the end of year celebrations with families of children attending your ELC setting.  With this in mind, we wanted to remind you all of the many ways of connecting and how important it is to have some procedures in […]
tags blogearly years settingsscéaltaSíoltasocial mediasocial media policy
2097 views
0 comments
folder ArtDevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlay

Happy Creativity!

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 08 December 2020

I recently spoke with Milica Atanackovic for Early Childhood Ireland’s podcast. She believes creativity is at the heart of childhood and learning and our role as educators is to support children as they make meaning of the world around them through enquiry and shared learning. Aistear supports and encourages us to see creativity in that […]
tags AistearblogCreativityEarly Childhood EducationEarly Childhood IrelandPrimary SchoolscéaltaSíolta
1658 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship Building

Celebrating Quality in Early Learning and Care Practice

By Milica Atanackovic

Tuesday 01 December 2020

  This year we were unable to host our annual national award celebrations in person. Therefore, we made the decision to celebrate the shortlisted entries and winners through short online videos. Our aim was to show examples of the love, laughter, passion, and adventures facilitated by educators in quality Early Learning and Care services. The […]
tags annual awardsblogEarly Childhood IrelandECIAwards20National Annual Awards 2020scéaltaSíolta
1265 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningRelationship Building

The beauty of ‘being’

By Catherine Mc Hugh

Tuesday 24 November 2020

“I can’t wait until….” Here is a simple quote that personally passes through my lips numerous times a day. It has become apparent to me in recent times that looking for the ‘what next’ in my future has almost overcome me to an extent where the ‘now’ is overlooked. There is such beauty in the ‘now’. A glistening feeling […]
tags AistearblogCovid responseCOVID-19MindfulnessscéaltaScéalta BlogSíolta
2146 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningRelationship Building

Democratic practice

By Marlene McCormack

Monday 16 November 2020

As the dust settles on the US presidential election, in Scéalta this week Marlene Mc Cormack reflects on how we can ensure democratic practice in early childhood education and care settings and reminds us that the Reggio philosophy grew out of the devastation of World War 2. If we want adults who are brave and who will stand up for justice, this must be supported from early childhood.
tags Aistearblogdemocracydemocratic citizensReggio EmiliaScéalta BlogSíolta
1435 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship BuildingWell-being

Relationships and Interactions

By Lilian Joyce

Monday 09 November 2020

In this week’s Scealta, Lilian Joyce discusses how “Relationships are at the very heart of early learning and development” – ‘this has always been my favourite quote from Aistear’, (Learning and developing through interactions, Aistear, Guidelines for good practice [NCCA, 2009, p.27]). The impact of the Covid 19 pandemic has shown just how much relationships between children and their families, and the early years educators, matter.
tags COVID-19European Early Childhood Education Research Associationinspiring interactionsInspiring PracticeInteractionsLoving Relationshipsrelationships
2397 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningRelationship BuildingResearch

EECERA – virtual!

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 03 November 2020

  The European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EERECRA) conference each August/ September is a calendar fixture for many in the Early Learning and Care world. It is held in various locations around Europe; indeed, it has taken place in Dublin twice and attracts delegates, who share a passion for the education and care of […]
tags AistearblogEECERAEuropean Early Childhood Education Research AssociationInternational Narrativesscéalta
1511 views
0 comments
folder AdvocacyDevelopmentLearningPlayRelationship BuildingResearch

Coming of Age

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 27 October 2020

Last Tuesday night, October 20 Professor Anne Looney, Dean of Education at Dublin City University launched the Proceedings of the Early Childhood Ireland National Research Conference, held in Dublin in April 2019. The launch of this publication came during Early Childhood Ireland’s very first online Research Symposium, which was due to be held last April, […]
tags AistearblogNational Research Conference 2019Online Research SymposiumProceedings JournalscéaltaScéalta BlogSíolta
2459 views
0 comments
folder LearningPlay

There is more to maths than counting!

By Sandra O'Neill

Monday 19 October 2020

I’m not great at maths. My other half thinks it hilarious that I teach mathematics in a university, when I have no understanding of basic math concepts like distance (the two metre COVID restriction is a real struggle for me). The type of maths I teach is maths that can be seen in young children’s […]
tags AistearblogCountingMathsScéalta BlogShapesSíolta
2126 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningPlayRelationship Building

Early Childhood Ireland’s Learning Hub

By Margaret Garland

Monday 12 October 2020

You have seen by now about the launch last week of Early Childhood Ireland’s Learning Hub. This new member benefit has the potential to save members hundreds of euros, as it provides up to €850 worth of high-quality online training, at no additional cost to members. For courses with a practical component, such as Manual […]
tags Covid pandemicCOVID-19Early Childhood IrelandEarly Years Educationlearning hubonline trainingReturn to Work Training
3312 views
0 comments
folder EnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship BuildingResearch

Celebrating Scéalta 200

By Dr Emer Ring

Monday 05 October 2020

Painting a picture of a dynamic, innovative, responsive and committed sector I was delighted and indeed honoured to receive an invitation from Early Childhood Ireland to write a guest Scéalta edition to mark the 200th edition of the blog and this significant milestone for early childhood in Ireland.  For me, the invitation coincided with two significant […]
tags COVID-19 landscapeEarly Childhood IrelandLeadership for INClusion in the Early YearsscéaltaSíoltaUNICEF report
2304 views
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Tell me a story!

By Marlene McCormack

Tuesday 29 September 2020

I am wondering if I have the hang of blogging. A blog, I think, is meant not only to tell but to engage – maybe to share a story! Sir Ken Robinson, who died recently, was a great storyteller.  Make no mistake about it, he had a perspective on education, one that many subscribed to […]
tags blogLearning through StorytellingscéaltaSeanchaíSíoltaStoryStorytelling
1912 views
0 comments
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Reopening – Silver Linings – Mixed Age Pods

By Sarah Twohig

Monday 21 September 2020

Since I began my studies in the Early Years, I have often wondered how mixed age groups worked in practice. The Montessori method stresses that multi-age groups can be of benefit to all children. Our curriculum has always been tailored to the individual child anyway and so we became quite excited by the possibilities presented […]
tags AistearblogCOVID-19Mixed age groupspeer groupplay podsscéaltaSíolta
1919 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship BuildingTransitions

Reopening – Compromises and Silver Linings

By Sarah Twohig

Monday 14 September 2020

“Dream big, work hard, stay focused and surround yourself with good people.” I’m a big fan of inspirational quotes and Facebook memes because sometimes they just hit the right note. In our service, we like to dream big which includes a collaborative dream of a “perfect” creche. This idea forms the centre or ethos of […]
tags blogCOVID-19COVID-19 Reopeningcrecheoutdoor environmentplayscéaltaSíolta
1403 views
0 comments
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Finding creativity inside of yourself!

By Marlene McCormack

Monday 07 September 2020

  The recent death of Sir Ken Robinson got me thinking again about creativity. I went back and leafed through his book ‘The Element: How finding your passion changes everything’, which I had read at a time when I was reflecting on what drives me in life.  Then I re-watched his famous TED talk on […]
tags blogchildren’s learningCreativityearly childhoodeducation systemPedagogyscéaltaSíolta
1083 views
0 comments
folder AdvocacyDevelopmentLearningPlay

Play Talk

By Patricia Curtis

Tuesday 01 September 2020

David Crystal describes learning a first language as “…… the most complex skill anyone ever learns. And this task needs to be virtually complete by the time a child reaches school age.” Learning a language is hard work but made easier by the fact that we have so much fun doing it – it is […]
tags Exploratory PlayLarge Doll PlayPretend PlaySmall World Play
1311 views
0 comments
folder LearningPlayRelationship BuildingWell-being

Loving Relationships

By Dee Finn

Monday 24 August 2020

In response to the question “how would you describe love?” my darling friend Biel said “it feels like everything. Love the people and love the trees, love everything. It’s a really happy feeling of your heart, the heart which you feel in your body”. Biel, at five years of age, has true wisdom of the […]
tags blogemotional well-beingLoveLoving RelationshipsscéaltaSíolta
1288 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlayWell-being

Stay Safe. Stay Outdoors!

By Edel Graham

Monday 17 August 2020

In 2009, I opened Corrig Kids Playschool, a huge one-acre facility, which I have developed over the course of the subsequent years. When COVID-19 hit on the 12th March, and over the following months and with emerging guidelines, I took time to consider how I could best serve the needs of my staff, pupils and […]
tags blogCovid responseCOVID-19outdoorsscéaltaSíolta
2313 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship Building

Reopening: We were ready!

By Anne Macken

Tuesday 28 July 2020

Looking back on the past few weeks since reopening, and if I had the gift of hindsight, my mental health and wellbeing might not have had to suffer as much as it has over the past six weeks.  When we had our date for reopening my mind started working overtime with so many ‘what about….’, […]
tags COVID-19DCYAEarly Childhood IrelandIrish guidelinesreopeningscéaltaSíolta
2943 views
3 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningWell-being

Trauma Sensitive Early Childhood Care and Education

By Dr. Judith Butler

Monday 20 July 2020

Early childhood adversity is a topic that is widely covered in the literature and in initial practitioner education.However, until recently the topic of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has been less well covered.The World Health Organisation’s recognition of ACEs as a major public health challenge has raised awareness and as a result, societal change is happening […]
tags Adverse Childhood ExperiencesblogECECmental health problemsresponsive relationshipsscéaltaSíoltaTrauma-SensitiveWorld Health Organisation
3246 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningRelationship Building

Being Nice is not Enough!

By Colette Murray

Tuesday 14 July 2020

In this week’s Scealta Colette Murray discusses ‘Becoming more aware of our unconscious and conscious bias both personally and professionally means we are in a better position to support children and families in our services. None of us think of ourselves as racist, sexist, ableist, classist or homophobic but how sure are we about that? Most of us are confident we are not discriminating against others but is it enough to think that and say that?’
tags AistearblogEarly Childhood IrelandEqualityracismscéaltaSíolta
1963 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship Building

Reopening – ‘Seeing Joyful Faces’

By Sharon Skehill

Monday 29 June 2020

In this week’s Scealta, Sharon Skehill talks about reopening and says that ‘The children are at the centre of everything we do. Am I nervous about re-opening this week? I don’t think I am. I know that we have done everything we can to minimise risk to children, their families and the staff. I also know that those children coming back to us this week will be greeted with joyful faces and huge hearts. We will be grand!’
tags AistearblogCOVID-19 Reopeningjune29reopening irelandscéaltaSíolta
1778 views
0 comments
folder EnvironmentsLearningPlay

Reopening Childcare – Reimagining it as it Could be

By Lee Herlihy

Tuesday 23 June 2020

As many settings approach the final days of preparation for reopening on June 29th Lee Herlihy takes a look at what really matters most for the children. She says ‘I didn’t want the children to see worried, stressed, anxious adults. I wanted them to see familiar, welcoming happy and relaxed adults, excited to show them how this space, their own space, still belongs to them
tags blogELClockdownReopening ChildcareSACscéaltaSíolta
2791 views
1 comments
folder EnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship Building

Your Place

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 16 June 2020

As we count down the weeks to the reopening of many full day care settings, Máire Corbett discusses some considerations for changes to our environments and keeping the child central to those considerations. She mentions the excitement, as well as the apprehension we may feel about having personal connections to children and families after months of virtual contact.
tags blogEarly Childhood IrelandHand HygienescéaltaSíoltaUniversal Design GuidelinesYour place
959 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningRelationship Building

Pedagogical Leadership

By Kathleen Tuite

Tuesday 09 June 2020

In the Scéalta this week Kathleen Tuite outlines why she feels that pedagogical leadership is a key aspect of the reopening of our settings. She says that Having to carve out new pathways to cope and come up with innovative ways to ensure that our children, families and communities are safe, nurtured and supported requires rethinking the old ways of doing things and effective leadership is needed to do that.
tags AistearblogPedagogical leadersPedagogyplay podsscéaltaSíolta
2091 views
0 comments
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Pod Talk

By Milica Atanackovic

Wednesday 03 June 2020

Since early March, the way we live our lives has been changed by COVID-19. This has been the same for children. As researchers learn more about COVID-19 and as more definitive answers emerge on how to manage the virus, we need to continually balance the health guidance and practicality, keeping loving relationships at the heart of our work in pods. In Scéalta this week, Milica Atanackovic teases out the how of this.
tags Aistearchild-centricCOVID-19play podScéalta BlogSíolta
2829 views
0 comments
folder ArtDevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship Building

Together while apart

By Veronique Didi

Monday 25 May 2020

Early Learning and Care settings all over the country have been so creative and innovative in how they are keeping connected with children and families. Veronique Didi from Co. Wicklow tells us how she has responded to the children interests and maintains an emergent curriculum on line!
tags AistearblogCovid19 crisisGoToMeeting appkeep in touchscéaltashow and tellstaying connected
1386 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningRelationship Building

Connecting and Documenting Through a Virtual Platform

By Samantha Hallows

Tuesday 19 May 2020

Samantha Hallows from Giddy-ups pre-school through her connecting with children and families ‘Super Shed Stories’ has been receiving photos from children and their families of drawings the children have been doing after they listen to the Stories from Super Shed Stories. Samantha has decided to document these drawings from the children (with their permission) and share them through a Super Shed Gallery, virtual platform.
tags COVID-19documentationpreschoolScéalta BlogstoriesStorytellingSuper Shed Stories
1260 views
0 comments
folder ArtDevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlay

What the Children Say – SAC

By Deirdre Horgan

Tuesday 12 May 2020

Deirdre Horgan discusses School Aged Childcare from the child’s perspective and highlights what children want, is play, home-from-home environments, and to be able to relax and feel comfortable after school. They highlighted how important Relationships with family, extended family, friends, childminders and other carers were to them.
tags childcare servicesNational Childcare Schemeplayplay storiesScéalta BlogUNCRC
1330 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlayRelationship BuildingWell-being

Trust, Opportunity, and Time

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 28 April 2020

Aldo Fortunati from Tuscany has spoken at a few Early Childhood Ireland events, most recently in Carlow last September. I am always taken by his mantra of Trust, Opportunity and Time. He says children need to be trusted to lead their own learning and experiences, must be given the opportunities to do this and have […]
tags Aistear Siolta in ActionCovid pandemicCOVID-19family timeOpportunitiesScéalta Blogtrust
1477 views
2 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearning

Placing the Child at the Centre of Quality in Early Childhood and Primary Education

By Dr. Claire Regan and Dr. Leah OToole

Monday 20 April 2020

In Scéalta this week Dr. Claire Regan and Dr. Leah O’Toole outline the THRIECE (Teaching for Holistic, Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education) project. This is an innovative, multidisciplinary Erasmus+ research project, coordinated by Marino Institute of Education, with partner institutions in Ireland, Poland and Portugal working together to try to answer questions around what quality is in Early Education.
tags Early Childhood Care and Educationearly childhood educatorEarly Childhood Irelandearly lifeECEC Settingprimary education
1705 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship BuildingResearch

My Early Childhood Degree at Maynooth University

By Sylwia O’Rourke

Wednesday 15 April 2020

As the extended CAO Deadline gets closer, Sylwia O’Rourke looks back on her experience of completing her BA in Early Childhood Teaching and Learning at Maynooth University.
tags Learning JournalMaynooth UniversityScéalta BlogSiolta blog
1865 views
0 comments
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Structure Supports Uncertainty

By Fiona Ferris

Wednesday 01 April 2020

The introduction of COVID-19 into our lives at the end of February brought with it uncertainty, disruption to routine and perhaps most difficultly, unpredictability. These are discomforts that many of us will find incredibly difficult to process, and that is with us being kept fully informed by the news and online sources. This has been […]
tags AsIAmAutismChildcareCOVID-19Routinesstructure
2242 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningPlayRelationship BuildingWell-being

Staying connected through Super Shed Stories

By Samantha Hallows

Monday 23 March 2020

Over the past week we have been hearing about the trojan efforts that Early Childhood Ireland members are making and finding innovative ways to stay connected to their children while all early learning and care settings are closed. In this week’s Scealta blog we hear from our member Samantha who describes how she uses stories […]
tags COVID-19Reading TimeScéalta BlogStorytellingSuper Shed StoriesYoutube Series
4122 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningPlayWell-being

Young children’s use of apps

By Sandra O'Neill

Tuesday 10 March 2020

Increasingly, children are seen using wi-fi enabled devices out and about, on public transport, in cafes or restaurants and in their own homes. On average, children under five are using tablets and other screen media for up to 2.5 hours per day (Australian Child Health Poll, 2017; Rideout, 2017; Marsh et al., 2015). Many children […]
tags Aistearaistear blogapps for childrenbloom appimotioniOSkeezylearnerspablophone appsSíoltaSiolta blogyoudoodle
2094 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningRelationship BuildingWorkplace relations

Professional Practice

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 03 March 2020

Síolta Standard 11 relates to the area of professional practice, saying ‘Practising in a professional manner requires that individuals have skills, knowledge, values and attitudes appropriate to their role and responsibility within the setting. In addition, it requires regular reflection upon practice and engagement in supported, ongoing professional development’. Dr. Mary Moloney’s recent Scéalta post […]
tags annual conferenceconferencecontinual professional developmentProfessionalisationSíoltaSiolta blog
1315 views
2 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningRelationship BuildingTransitions

What are we doing to our boys?

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 25 February 2020

In Scéalta this week Máire Corbett reflects on how gender stereotypes can be damaging to children, following the online reaction to the winning project in the BT Young Scientist competition and a conversation she overheard in a supermarket.
tags Aistearbehavioural scienceearly years learninggender biasgender stereotypelearning biasman upscéaltasocial science
1942 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentEnvironmentsLearningPlay

A night to celebrate the work of Early Years Educators

By Debbie Mullen

Tuesday 18 February 2020

Early Childhood Ireland National Awards celebrate and highlight the exceptional contributions that individuals, teams and settings make in early learning and care settings all over Ireland.  The impact these contributions have in improving the experiences of children and their families in early years settings across Ireland is immense.  This year we will be celebrating our […]
tags awards 2020Awards NightEarly Childhood Ireland National AwardsFirst 5 transitions for children awardInspired Practice AwardsLearning Story AwardsLINC Award for Leadership in InclusionPartnership with Families Innovation Award
1366 views
0 comments
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‘The Couch’

By Jane Jackson

Tuesday 11 February 2020

Against the backdrop of a wonderfully diverse modern Ireland, we are challenged to consider how we can ensure the meaningful participation of all parents and families in our ECEC settings. As the manager of a small sessional setting in a thriving multicultural and societally diverse Dublin suburb, I am acutely aware of the importance of […]
tags Early Years EducatorsECCEECEC SettingEducatorsparentspreschoolpreschool settingsScéalta BlogSessional service
1361 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningResearch

Sharing and dialogue for professional practice

By Liz Kerrins

Tuesday 04 February 2020

In this week's Scéalta blog, Liz Kerrins discusses the Early Childhood Ireland Annual Research Day 2020.
tags aistear blogearly years researchNational Early Childhood Research Conferenceresearch submissions
891 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship BuildingResearchWorkplace relations

Professional Behaviour in Early Childhood Education and Care

By Dr. Mary Moloney

Wednesday 29 January 2020

Ask any early childhood educator what it is they most want and, the answer invariably entails professional salaries (rightly so), to feel valued, respected and treated as and, seen as a professional in their own right. They want to enjoy the status afforded to and enjoyed by other professions. In short, they want to see the professionalisation of the Early Childhood Education and Care sector. Ensuring that this happens rests primarily with Government who are responsible for creating the conditions that enable a profession to emerge and flourish.
tags Aistearaistear blogcode of ethicscode of professional responsibilityECECScéalta BlogSiolta blog
8128 views
0 comments
folder LearningPlayRelationship Building

Capturing Children’s Voices at Story Time!

By Kathleen Tuite

Wednesday 22 January 2020

Reading and storytelling with children promotes brain development and imagination, teaches children about language and emotions, and strengthens relationships. Dr Mary Roche in her blog ‘Books and stories are important in the early years‘, also wrote about the importance of storytelling and its effect on children’s development. In this blog we want to highlight the […]
tags AistearChildrenSíoltaSiolta blogstory timeStorytelling
2777 views
0 comments
folder Learning

Technology in Early Years Settings

By Sandra O'Neill

Wednesday 08 January 2020

We hear a lot about the fact that screen time is bad for babies and should be limited for children over two years. But this is only one aspect of technology and it is important that we realise that technology is a fact of life now. This week’s Scéalta post comes from Sandra O’Neill from DCU and she looks at how we can use technology to support play.
tags AistearDigitalDigital DevicesDocument LearningEngineeringlearningMathsSíoltaSTEMTechnology
18152 views
0 comments
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Documentation – trace of your professional life

By Catherine Mc Hugh

Tuesday 10 December 2019

“Documentation is the trace of your professional life”. This was a quote from Wendy Lee during her visit to Ireland last September. This quote resonated with me. It’s true. It’s the trace of our presence, our love, our care, our compassion for children and families, our willingness to constantly learn with children, and it’s a […]
tags DES InspectiondocumentationInspectionsLearning JournalLearning StoriesRich DocumentationWendy Lee
2267 views
0 comments
folder Learning

I say OOH, you say AAH – Book Review

By Anne Comerford

Wednesday 27 November 2019

We love books and reading in Early Childhood Ireland….and we know you do too. Recently Dr. Mary Roche in her Scéalta reminded us why story reading and storytelling are so important for children. We are delighted to introduce our first Scéalta book review from the lovely pre-schoolers in Spraoi Playschool, in Tipperary.
tags Book ReviewlearningParticipationScéalta BlogScéalta Book ReviewStorytelling
1971 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Montessori and Intergenerational Care

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 05 November 2019

In this week's Scelta blog Máire Corbett discusses her experience at at the Montessori Europe Congress last month. Máire heard about intergenerational initiatives in the USA and how some settings provide residential care for older people using Montessori Principles to enhance the lives of the Elders in those settings.
tags EldersInter-generationalInter-generational learninglife long learningMontessorirelationshipsscéaltaScéalta Blog
2174 views
0 comments
folder Learning

Aistear is ten years old!

By Mary Daly

Monday 14 October 2019

In this weeks’ Scealta ‘Aistear’s Celebrates its 10th Birthday and reflects on how many practitioners around Ireland started to dip their toe in the water and saw that the framework wasn’t something to be feared. Instead, it was something to be embraced. It reflected very well what they were trying to do every day – helping children to learn and develop through play within the context of loving relationships.
tags AistearChildren and familiesDepartment of Education and SkillslearningNCCAplayrelationships
4044 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

Books and stories are important in the early years

By Dr. Mary Roche

Tuesday 24 September 2019

If you were told that you could improve your child’s imagination, thinking ability, vocabulary, oral language, literacy skills, interpersonal relationships, empathy, attachment, and have great fun at the same time, you would rush to sign up for such an amazing programme. Imagine if you were told that you can do it yourself and it’s free? […]
tags readingscéaltaScéalta BlogSíolta
6171 views
2 comments
folder LearningTransitions

Our Week in Iceland

By Fiona Kelleher

Tuesday 27 August 2019

Early Childhood Ireland is delighted to be part of a European Project called TRAP – Enhancing Transition Practices in Early Childhood Education. The countries involved are Croatia, Iceland, Sweden and Ireland. The project aims to enhance and extend understandings of the practice required for transitions from ECEC contexts to primary schools. This project aims to […]
tags AistearEuropean ProjectIcelandScéalta BlogSíoltaStudy TriptransitionsTRAP
1599 views
0 comments
folder ArtDevelopmentLearning

Reggio Emilia – Quality Never Grows Old

By Milica Atanackovic

Tuesday 30 April 2019

At the beginning of the year I spent a week with other Reggio Emilia network partners to engage in continuous professional development. It was an opportunity to activate a journey with the Reggio Children Network and discuss some plans towards 2020. Reggio Emilia is a term used often to describe curriculum approaches in Early Childhood […]
tags AistearReggio Children NetworkReggio EmiliascéaltaScéalta BlogSíolta
5402 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

Celebrate Good Times!

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 16 April 2019

Sitting in the function room at The Alex in Dublin city centre last Friday night at the Annual Early Childhood Ireland Awards was an amazing feeling. The words of that song, ‘celebrate good times, come on!‘ kept ringing in my ears as I reflected on the talent, passion, commitment and dedication of the people in the […]
tags AistearAnnual Conference 2019Awards 2019CelebrateEarly Childhood Ireland National AwardsSíolta
1285 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

Budding Engineers

By Lilian Joyce

Tuesday 05 March 2019

It’s Monday again, and as usual the weekend has flown. As you wait for the children to arrive you do a quick visual check around the room. The table in the home corner is set invitingly for four, complete with tablecloth, a small vase of flowers and empty plates. As you wonder what exotic dishes […]
tags AistearEngineering IrelandEngineers WeekImaginationplayScéalta BlogSíoltaSociodramatic play
1274 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

Making the world a better place

By Marlene McCormack

Tuesday 19 February 2019

Not a day goes by without sustainability in some form appearing in the news. We clutter the seas with plastic, in Ireland we dispose of half a million coffee cups, and flush away 400 million litres of water every day (Kelleher, 2019). The world that we hold in stewardship for future generations is in danger and […]
tags AistearNational Pyjama DayPlasticRecyclingscéaltaScéalta BlogSíoltaSustainabilityUNUN Sustainable Development GoalsUnited Nations
1600 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

Shapes are Everywhere

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 05 February 2019

Maths was never my thing. I am proof that just because something has been taught, it does not mean it has been learned. I don’t know how many maths classes I sat through up to my Leaving Cert… but I never understood the relevance of trigonometry and theorems. Beyond arithmetic I was lost… and was […]
tags AistearArithmeticMathsPatternsShapesSíoltaTrigonometry
1564 views
0 comments
folder LearningResearch

Formalised Curiosity

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 22 January 2019

I recently came across this quote: ‘Research is formalised curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose’ (Zora Neale Hurston). As we in Early Childhood Ireland plan our fifth annual National Early Childhood Research Conference, it struck me as very apt. Aistear encourages curiosity. The themes of Identity & Belonging and Exploring & Thinking both […]
tags AistearAlbert EinsteinblogEarly Childhood Ireland’s National Early Childhood Research Conference 2019Exploring and ThinkingIdentity and BelongingPobal sector profileresearchResearch Conference 2019Scéalta BlogSíolta
1536 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

An irresistible invitation to learn

By Caitriona Cooney

Tuesday 11 December 2018

At this time of year, we can get caught up in making and doing and performances. The sentiments in this post apply all year, but this is a timely reminder of the importance of getting silly, the value of laughter and having fun! I recently attended the Cork Autism Conference and listened with wonder and […]
tags AistearAutismLaughterScéalta BlogSíolta
1533 views
0 comments
folder LearningRelationship Building

Shaping community involvement

By Orlagh Doyle

Tuesday 20 November 2018

Sometimes life can throw us happy celebratory times and we know for sure life can throw some difficult and sad times too! In Carraig Briste & Killegney we understand that our connection and support with families through their involvement in our settings develops quality relationships, essential for creating learning and understanding environments for young children. […]
tags AistearcommunityCommunity involvementMotor neuron diseaseparentsscéaltaScéalta BlogSculpturesSíolta
2536 views
0 comments
folder Learning

What’s the story, baby?

By Dr. Suzanne Egan

Tuesday 06 November 2018

Lots of book events take place all across Ireland in October during the annual Children’s Book Festival. These events support literacy, promote a love of books and the joy of reading. But how often is a love of books and reading supported for the youngest members of society in early childhood settings, community settings and […]
tags AistearbooksCognitive developmentGrowing up in IrelandreadingscéaltaScéalta BlogSíoltaSocioemotional developmentStory
2502 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

Halloween – A Trick or a Treat?

By Carol Duffy

Tuesday 30 October 2018

Coming so soon after the settling in period, for many children Halloween is often a mixed bag of tricks and treats. On the one hand it can be a treat, a time of great excitement negotiating the emotions of scary and funny, the concepts of real and pretend, and the delights of being out in […]
tags AistearblogHalloweenScéalta BlogSíoltaTrick or treat
3041 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningPlay

Through the looking glass

By Lorraine O'Connor

Tuesday 23 October 2018

Take a moment, look out the window. What do you see? The trees are filled with autumn colours to warm your heart. Bursting with a rainbow of amber, gold, red and green. The rain drops are falling from the sky to glisten the grass with a glossy coat of moisture. The light begins to break, […]
tags AistearchristmasHalloweenScéalta BlogSíoltaThrough the looking glassWindow
2993 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Interacting with the Brain

By Fiona Kelleher

Tuesday 25 September 2018

As I read last week’s Scéalta blog post, I really started to think about the important role of the adult working with children under the age of three. Kathleen Tuite discussed care routines for children under three and how these times are a wonderful opportunity to build trusting relationships with children. I couldn’t agree more. […]
tags BrainCare routinesrelationshipsscéaltaScéalta Blog
1744 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningPlay

Mixing the Ages: Part 2

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 28 August 2018

In the last Scéalta post, Mixing the ages, Sarah O’Leary described how in her setting, Cheeky Cherubs in Cork, children of mixed ages play and learn together very effectively. I have long been an advocate of children being in mixed age groupings. My initial training was as a Montessori teacher and the Montessori approach views […]
tags AistearERASMUS+Meal timemealsMixed age groupsMontessoriscéaltaScéalta BlogSíoltaTuscan Approach
2079 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Mixing the ages!

By Sarah O'Leary

Tuesday 14 August 2018

With the introduction of the second free preschool year, we in Cheeky Cherubs began questioning how we could best integrate children of varying ages into the same space. We operated as a traditional preschool up to 2014, where children were cared for in separate rooms according to age, only having the opportunity to mix with […]
tags AistearcommunicationcurriculumEmpathyMixed age groupsscéaltaScéalta BlogSíolta
6449 views
2 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

Cillian and Adam

By David King

Tuesday 24 July 2018

At Creative Kids & Co., we build our curriculum around the children.  We base it on their interests and on what emerges from our observations within the group.  Sometimes this leads to learning about dance, sometimes dinosaurs or buildings. Sometimes the children’s interests can take us on a journey that lasts weeks, or on occasion […]
tags AistearAutismBlocksblogLearning StoriesLearning Stories AwardLight tableScéalta BlogSíolta
3148 views
4 comments
folder LearningResearch

Preparing Professionals

By Dr. Mary Moloney

Tuesday 17 July 2018

Is classroom-based learning enough to prepare early childhood teachers for their professional responsibilities?   Early childhood is a time of great opportunity and tremendous vulnerability for young children. Decisions made and actions taken during early childhood, affect children’s attitudes towards, and engagement with, learning for life. Yet, there is no consensus nationally or internationally about […]
tags AistearCollegeECEClearningNational Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher EducationScéalta BlogSíoltaUniversity
4659 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

San Miniato: Quality Early Years Education – A Tuscan Perspective

By Susan Quirke-Crowley

Tuesday 10 July 2018

On Sunday June 10th 2018, I had the privilege of travelling to San Miniato, Italy, with a group of 15 like-minded individuals on the Early Childhood Ireland Erasmus+ Léargas Study Trip in pursuit of international perspectives on quality within the Early Years Education Sector. Our host, Barbara, at La Bogetta Di Gepetto afforded us the […]
tags AistearblogCPDcurriculumERASMUS+FamilyLeargasSan MiniatoScéalta BlogSíoltaVertical grouping
2640 views
0 comments
folder Learning

Who’s for a Photo?

By Kathleen Tuite

Tuesday 12 June 2018

Have you as an Early Years Educator ever been in the situation in your setting, where you want to take a photograph of an individual child or a group of children and suddenly realise that one or other of the children’s parents have not given consent for the child’s photo to be taken? What do […]
tags AistearblogConsentGDPRGeneral Data Protection RegulationPhotographsScéalta BlogSíolta
2839 views
0 comments
folder DiningLearningTransitions

Snack time at anytime

By Sinead Early O Brien

Tuesday 05 June 2018

Snack time was an area of practice I struggled with but wasn’t brave enough to change until I was inspired by Dr. Mary O’Kane, on the Level 8 BA in Early Childhood Teaching and Learning, to reflect and acknowledge daily transitions in our service. In doing so I realised that we, the adults, were deciding […]
tags Decision MakingDecisionsplayrespectScéalta BlogSnack TimeSnackstransitions
10873 views
2 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

Síolta – Our Journey

By Sharon Skehill

Tuesday 29 May 2018

While our sector is inundated with paperwork, inspections and training opportunities in recent years, one might question why one would take on more work with the Síolta Quality Assurance Programme. Our full day care facility has just celebrated ten years of service and while we began the Síolta QAP process confident of our practice, our […]
tags AistearScéalta BlogSíoltaSíolta QAPSíolta Quality Assurance programme
4210 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningPlay

The Awards!

By Mag Coogan

Tuesday 22 May 2018

In April, Mag Coogan, Owner of the ABC Club in Dunboyne, Co. Meath, was the overall winner of the first ever Early Childhood Ireland Educator of the Year Award. Here’s what happened in the preschool the week after the Awards Ceremony! Returning to The ABC Club on the Monday after winning the Educator of the […]
tags AwardsCelebrationsCeremonyEducator of the Year AwardNational Awards 2018PartyScéalta Blog
3356 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

‘I feel complete now’

By Breda Joyce

Wednesday 09 May 2018

In May 2008 my husband and I adopted a 6-month old baby girl from Vietnam. She has brought us nothing but joy and happiness since then. Kayla has always had a keen interest in her birth country, and we have marked her cultural celebrations such as Tet (Vietnamese New Year) every year. Her birthday is […]
tags AdoptionAistearBelongingIdentitySíoltaVietnam
1809 views
1 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningResearch

Children doing it for themselves!

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 01 May 2018

One day, a few months ago, I was walking along a beach. Two little boys ran past me. They were maybe 6 and 4 years old. They came to some rocks and the older boy held out his hand to his little brother or friend. The older one wanted to help the other negotiate the […]
tags AistearCapableCompetentConfidentFeedingIndependenceSíolta
4166 views
0 comments
folder LearningResearch

Inspiring Practice in Pen Green

By Valerie Gaynor

Tuesday 24 April 2018

The staff of Creative Kids and Co. from Dublin, were very lucky to spend the February mid term break on a visit to the Pen Green Centre for Under 5’s and their families. The visit was planned to inspire practice, and to get new ideas for our spaces. Pen Green is located in Corby which […]
tags AisteareducationInspirationaloutdoor spacePen greenplayQualityScéalta BlogSíolta
2844 views
1 comments
folder ArtDevelopmentLearning

Same Thing, in a Different Way

By Lorraine O'Connor

Tuesday 17 April 2018

‘Let’s make playdough’ is a popular sentence with many children. The simplicity of the flour, oil, water and colouring continues to amaze children each time it is made. Each time I engage in making playdough with a child or a group of children, the process appears wonderous, this is evident through their curiosity as they […]
tags AistearblogPlaydoughScéalta BlogSíolta
1417 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

‘Tuning in’ with Learning Stories

By Catherine Mc Hugh

Tuesday 10 April 2018

As the final countdown commences to Early Childhood Ireland’s Awards night, the amazing stories from our sector continue to blow us away day by day. The hard work and dedication of the educators, who wholeheartedly devote their energies into providing the best care and education for the children in their setting, is oozing from each […]
tags AistearblogdocumentationLearning StoriesLearning Stories AwardNational Awards 2018Scéalta BlogSíolta
4346 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

What Next?

By Fiona Kelleher

Tuesday 03 April 2018

I don’t think I will ever forget the day I graduated from DIT with my certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education. After 2 years I had achieved a third level education and was ready to start my career working with children. This was also the day that I insisted on having every possible graduation […]
tags CertificateEarly Childhood Care and EducationeducationGraduateMA
2233 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Inspired to Document

By Orlagh Doyle

Tuesday 27 March 2018

Modern day practice in early years education brings with it necessary documentation and our learning stories are simply an extension of this, however taking part in the learning story awards brings the added benefit of making our experiences meaningful and insightful for families and the wider community. We take great pride in the opportunities we […]
tags AistearAwards 2018communityEducator of the Year AwardInspired Practice AwardLearning Story AwardsSíoltaWell-Being
2662 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningPlay

Singing your praises

By Carol Duffy

Tuesday 20 March 2018

In my corner of the office it’s not unusual to hear me yelp with excitement, laugh out loud, or have tears streaming down my face (sometimes all at once). Often, I am stunned into silent reflection, affected and humbled by the capacity and humanity of you, the early years professionals, who share your stories of […]
tags AistearAwards 2018InspirationalInspired Practice Awardoutdoor playScéalta BlogSíolta
1765 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

National Holiday!

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 13 March 2018

It’s March and so our thoughts turn to celebrating our National Holiday…St Patrick’s Day. Harps and Shamrocks abound and everything appears though a greenish haze. Leprechauns and shillelaghs are produced and we all feel proud to be Irish. Indeed, the whole world seems to claim Irishness, with rivers dyed green and buildings bathed in green […]
tags AistearCelebrationsCultureIrishLeprechaunsNational HolidaySíoltaSnakesSt. Patrick's Day
2558 views
1 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Childcare – A Bad Job?

By Deborah Reynolds

Tuesday 06 March 2018

The phrase ‘I love my job’ is one you’ll often hear from Childcare Practitioners. It’s a feeling I share, I find my job very rewarding. It’s a privilege to be trusted with the care and education of Children under 5. I take my job seriously, I’m a professional, I’ve earned an education and my years […]
tags AistearChildcareChildcare Barometer 2018ProfessionalisationSíoltaTrade Unions
32720 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Spotlight on Biting

By Milica Atanackovic

Tuesday 27 February 2018

From an adult perspective, biting is an anti-social behaviour. It is grossly inappropriate to negotiate a situation or express your frustrations, sensory overload or teethache woes by biting your peers. With a child who has only a few years of life experience, the behaviour of biting shouldn’t be seen through an adult lens. As adults […]
tags AistearBehaviourBitingECCEemotionsFrustrationsScéalta BlogSíolta
5620 views
3 comments
folder ArtDevelopmentLearning

Sustainable Gumboots!

By Ricka Walser and Josephine Thompson

Tuesday 20 February 2018

Trying to be sustainable is like being on an adventure of discovery…. you never know what treasures or ideas you’re going to come up with or uncover, while also discovering your own inner creative spirit.  When we started on this adventure back in 2016 we wanted to develop our new preschool around the ethos of […]
tags AistearAwards 2018CreativityRecyclingSíoltaSustainabilitySustainableUpcycling
3109 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningResearch

Time to Shine!

By Debbie Mullen

Tuesday 13 February 2018

Did you read this Blog post last year? Thank you for the stories Rachel! Or, were you in the audience on that wonderful day last September when people like Maxine O’Donoghue, Nickola Cullen, Anne Macken and Alicia Cormican moved the audience to tears with their beautiful stories of child centred practice and showed what committed educators […]
tags AwardsEducator Award - Leader in PracticeEducator of the Year AwardEducatorsScéalta BlogWesco
2349 views
0 comments
folder ArtDevelopmentLearningPlayRelationship Building

Feel the Love

By Evelyn Egan

Tuesday 06 February 2018

As we emerge from the dark dreary days of January, Valentine’s Day heralds the coming of Spring and love is definitely in the air. No sooner did we ‘ring out the old, ring in the new’, than shop windows were adorned with red and pink love hearts, helium balloons, imitation roses, designer chocolates and Hallmark […]
tags AistearCITCork Institute of TechnologyFabricLoveScéalta BlogSíoltaValentine's Day
6480 views
0 comments
folder LearningPlayResearch

Finding Out & Sharing

By Kathleen Tuite

Tuesday 30 January 2018

Each year Early Childhood Ireland offers an opportunity for researchers, academics and students to present the findings from their research at our Irish Early Years Research Seminar. This year is no different so we are calling all researchers who have an interest in the Early Years to be part of the conversation. Click here to […]
tags AistearIrish Early Years Research & Practice Seminar 2018playresearchResearch Seminarrisky playSíolta
2195 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

An end to line-ups!

By Sarah Twohig

Tuesday 23 January 2018

I was very fortunate to be invited to attend a study visit to Norway with Early Childhood Ireland a few years ago. Of course, the visit was very exciting. I had never visited Norway and had always admired the country’s reputation for high quality early years experiences especially in risk taking and outdoor play. However, […]
tags Early Years EducatorsLine-upsNorwayQueues
6123 views
2 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningPlay

Montessori Musings

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 16 January 2018

Back when I left school, I knew I wanted to work with young children, very young children. Yes, there was Primary Teaching, but those children were too old! I heard something from someone about Montessori, an approach to working with children under six and I was sold! I bought a book by EM Standing called […]
tags AistearblogECCEEM StandingHome CornerlearningMaria MontessoriMontessoriplayScéalta BlogSíolta
5351 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Our vision of children

By Alicia Cormican

Tuesday 09 January 2018

We all hold a set of personal core values and beliefs. Quite often these influence how we see children and how we conduct ourselves in our day to day lives within our classrooms. I value active participatory learning and therefore aim to support children through their active engagement with the environment, the people around them […]
tags ChildrenInspired Practice AwardLearning StoriesScéalta Blog
3339 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Keeping the Magic Alive

By Kathleen Tuite

Thursday 04 January 2018

Christmas comes but once a year and despite a long lead up, for many young children the experience of Christmas is only felt once Christmas Day arrives. Early years settings have been busy for months with preparations for Christmas, decorating the rooms, singing songs, making decorations, supporting children to pick out gifts from Santa and […]
tags AistearchristmascurriculumMagicScéalta BlogSíolta
2181 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Celebrations – New Traditions and Shared Stories

By Elaine Hynes

Tuesday 19 December 2017

Early childhood settings bring children, families and educators from different cultures and backgrounds together and with each child and family comes a unique story. The wonderful thing is that we all get to benefit from these stories and to draw on aspects of them all, to create new shared stories. This brings incredible richness and […]
tags AistearCelebrationschristmasLearning StoryrelationshipsSíoltaTraditions
4204 views
0 comments
folder ArtDevelopmentLearningPlay

Performing… For Who?

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 12 December 2017

This time of year is full of celebrations, creativity, concerts and plays. But, I wonder, is there a stage where we need to reflect on who this is all for? Surely it is for the children, so that they can experience the joy and wonder of this magical time of the year? I spoke to […]
tags AistearArtCelebrationschristmasGraduationPerformingScéalta BlogSíolta
5654 views
3 comments
folder ArtLearningPlay

Making Scents of Christmas

By Evelyn Egan

Wednesday 06 December 2017

The Christmas Season is upon us, as evidenced by shopping centre aisles filled to capacity with tons of cheap, commercialized, plastic toys. For months now, great trucks thundered up and down the country delivering their cargo of ‘must have’ Paw-Patrol, Nerf guns and Lovabella dolls, stacks of colouring books and arts and crafts paraphernalia. Similarly, […]
tags ArtblogchristmasChristmas CreativityCraftFrosty the SnowmanGlitterSantaScéalta BlogScentsSequins
8696 views
2 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningPlayResearch

Play – No Overload!

By Amy McArdle

Tuesday 28 November 2017

A few weeks ago, I wrote the first of two blog posts called ‘Admin Overload?’, which documented my learning from a day shadowing Valerie Gaynor, member of ECI’s Policy and Implementation Panel and Manager of Creative Kids in Dublin. Since I have no personal experience in operating, managing or working in an early years service, […]
tags AistearblogFundingInvestmentPolicy and Implementation PanelScéalta BlogSíolta
3499 views
0 comments
folder ArtDevelopmentLearningPlay

Playschool: Not what it used to be!

By Deborah Reynolds

Tuesday 21 November 2017

Over the past decade, there has been a seismic shift in how Early Years Services operate. Parents who have used Early Years Services over this time, will definitely have observed these changes. Every year there seems to be new requirements for settings. It can be difficult for us professionals to keep up with new policy […]
tags AcademicsAistearArtEmergent CurriculumparentsplayPlayschoolPolicyScéalta BlogSíolta
12147 views
6 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

Technology Guilt?

By Debbie Mullen

Tuesday 07 November 2017

Next week is Science Week. When we think of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects, the issue of Technology and the related screen time can be emotive. Debbie Mullen considers this from a parent perspective. When your child discovers your phone or tablet, should you feel guilty about letting them use it? This […]
tags blogEngineeringLegoMathsScéalta Blogsciencescience weekSTEMTechnologyXbox
2605 views
0 comments
folder LearningResearch

Admin Overload?

By Amy McArdle

Tuesday 31 October 2017

My name is Amy McArdle and I have been the Policy Officer in Early Childhood Ireland (ECI) since May 2016. My background is in law, human rights and politics, but I have been working in policy for over 10 years. There are a lot of policy issues relevant to early years services like those inspected […]
tags Administrative BurdenAdvocacyblogDCYAPIPPobalPolicyScéalta BlogValerie Gaynor
5157 views
1 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningPlay

Stories from the Heart

By Maxine Ryan

Tuesday 17 October 2017

When I set out on my journey writing learning stories I felt very anxious. Would I know what to write? Would I know what to look for? Did I have the right words to explain the story? I soon discovered the more I did it, the more comfortable I became with the process. I realised […]
tags AistearblogLearning StoriesMount EverestScéalta BlogSíolta
3039 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningResearch

Change in the Air

By Montessori and Early Childhood Professionals Ireland

Tuesday 10 October 2017

This week within the early childhood education and care sector there has been wide-ranging debate on a scale never seen before; a debate which has been refreshingly professional in nature. On Thursday 5th October, the Irish Times printed an article written by Carl O’Brien in which he discussed the release of a 10-point plan for the […]
tags blogMECPIMontessori & Early Childhood Professionals IrelandQualificationsScéalta BlogSeas Suas
3331 views
2 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningPlayRelationship BuildingResearch

Budget 2028 anyone?

By Frances Byrne

Tuesday 03 October 2017

The pace of change in the early years sector is something which only those of us trying to engage with it, can begin to grasp.  When your role, as mine does, involves analysing and responding to this change on behalf of a large, and growing membership, sometimes the grip feels quite tenuous, such is the […]
tags AffordabilityblogBudget 2018ECCEQualityScéalta BlogSustainability
2346 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Why ‘Time Out’ is ‘Out’!

By Lorraine O'Connor

Tuesday 26 September 2017

If you were asked to wear a jumper today that you had 10 years ago, would you? Probably not; it might be outdated, not in fashion, it doesn’t suit your figure or perhaps it doesn’t fit! A similar question – would you use time out to support a child’s behaviour today? We can say the […]
tags AistearBehaviourSelf-regulationSíoltaSupernannyTime OutWell-Being
15711 views
2 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningResearch

Studying enquiring minds – the challenges of early childhood practice research

By Maja Haals Brosnan

Tuesday 27 June 2017

If we put the researching child at the centre of our own research we do not have to spend weeks or months thinking up the best research question, the kinds of questions we should be asking, what to observe, what to note down, what to analyse. Take any given day in the baby, wobbler or preschool rooms and there is a plethora of questions and lines of enquiry right there!
tags AistearChildren's Research Networkoutdoor playplayresearchSíolta
3163 views
0 comments
folder LearningPlayRelationship Building

Thank you for the stories Rachel

By Dr. Carmel Brennan

Monday 19 June 2017

I’m reminded of the power of telling everyday anecdotes and stories – the small little incidents that happen throughout the day. They give parents an insight into the everyday and at the same time into their children’s growing relationships and abilities.
tags baby roomparentstransitions
5277 views
0 comments
folder LearningPlay

Listening to Children: Children’s Perspectives on Quality

By Karen Cremins

Friday 28 April 2017

Whilst researching the topic “Quality in ECEC” as part of my Degree in Early Years Studies, it became apparent that there were a lot of opinions (from adults!) on what quality in an early years setting looked like. However, I was interested in what the preschool child’s perspective was on quality in an early years’ […]
tags DegreelearningplayQualityTraining
8588 views
2 comments
folder Learning

Reflections on Degree Level Training

By Dr. Mary Moloney

Tuesday 25 April 2017

People often ask why somebody would need a degree to work with young children. The assumption being, that little training is needed to ‘mind’ a child. Thankfully, there has been a shift with regards to the importance of early childhood education and care worldwide, and the complexity of working with young children is increasingly in […]
tags AistearlearningplayScéalta BlogSíoltaTraining
14561 views
2 comments
folder DevelopmentLearning

Reading to Superheroes!

By Aisling Hearne

Tuesday 11 April 2017

As a working Mam, I cherish story time with my son. It is our time. Every night a new adventure. Each story a new place we get to visit together. It is truly my favourite part of the day. Our bedtime routine usually begins with 10 minutes of an intense selection process. If my son […]
tags blogbooksreadingScéalta Blogstory time
4007 views
0 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship BuildingTransitions

What’s in a name?

By Lorraine O'Connor

Tuesday 04 April 2017

Every day we use children’s names without realising. Mark Twain (1835-1910) reminds us names are not always what they seem. The Welsh name Bzjxxllwcp is pronounced Jackson. However, what is in a name? Does it matter if we say a child’s name wrong, shorten it or don’t use it at all? Irelands population is growing, […]
tags AistearblogCultureMark TwainNamesNorwayScéalta BlogSíolta
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folder ArtLearningPlay

The Arts as a Curiosity

By Deirdre Rogers

Tuesday 28 March 2017

Deirdre Rogers is delivering a Masterclass at our Annual Conference: The Art as Curiosity. Click to book >> The Arts are a curiosity and children learn through the Arts. Children have a spontaneous desire to move, experiment and explore. I envy how their imagination allows them to create magical imagery and outrageous ideas, which make […]
tags ArtArtsblogcuriosityDeirdre RogersDrawingImaginationPaintingReCreateScéalta BlogSPICE Framework
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folder DevelopmentLearningTransitions

The power of transition: supporting children to predict and cope with change

By Dr Mary O'Kane

Tuesday 21 March 2017

“To be responsible for your children at the start of a journey is a daunting prospect. To be in a position to influence the route they take and how they view themselves as they travel is even more of a responsibility.” Drummond (1999, cited in Abbott, 2000) Children in Ireland experience a broad range of educational […]
tags AistearAistear Siolta Practice GuideAnnual Conference 2017Dr Mary O'KaneECCEMasterclassScéalta BlogSíoltatransitions
7580 views
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folder DevelopmentLearningResearch

Making a Difference: AIMing for the Stars in the Age of Inclusion

By Dr Emer Ring

Monday 13 March 2017

I have been asked to present a Masterclass at the Early Childhood Ireland Conference on April 1, on the topic of Implementing the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM). In preparing for that session I got to reflecting more on this subject. There are numerous books written about inclusion in the early years and beyond, what […]
tags Access and Inclusion ModelAIMAistearAnnual Conference 2017Dr. Emer RingInclusionMasterclassresearchSíoltaSpecial Needs Assistants
7078 views
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folder DevelopmentLearningPlayResearch

Builders of the future

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 07 March 2017

It is Engineers Week this week. The purpose is to celebrate engineering in Ireland.  This starts with us, the educators who are passionate about play, the educators who realise that the very young children we work with everyday are the builders, scientists, architects and engineers of the future! The concept of STEM subjects is a […]
tags Aldo FortunatiblogBuildersEngineeringEngineers WeekJengaLegoMathsNAEYCScéalta BlogscienceSTEMTechnology
3965 views
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folder ArtDevelopmentLearningPlay

X Marks the Spot: Following Children’s Interests

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 28 February 2017

I was in a sessional preschool setting the other day. There was lots of talk about our senses. Children and educators shared ideas about seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. There were 3 small group activities for children to choose from, one of which involved Skittles and water, so children could discuss what they saw, […]
tags AistearBook ClubInterestsMapSíoltaSweetsTreasureTreasure Chest
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folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Capturing the Wonder of Childhood

By Catherine Mc Hugh

Tuesday 21 February 2017

A day in the life of an early year’s educator can be fun, interesting and full of playfulness. It is commonly heard from educators that they love working with children because no two days are ever the same. Children are spontaneous, unpredictable and full of curiosity. We, as adults, need to find our place in […]
tags AistearblogChildhoodcuriositylearningLearning StoriesSíoltaWonder
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folder DevelopmentLearningPlayRelationship BuildingTransitions

Priceless Times

By Emma Reilly

Tuesday 14 February 2017

There’s only one thing more precious than our time and that’s who we spend it on Leo Christopher Recently I was fortunate to be part of an Erasmus plus trip to Italy to job shadow in early years’ services in an area called San Miniato. I visited ‘Nido Pinocchio’ infant and toddler centre and came […]
tags ERASMUS+ItalyroutineSan MiniatoSelf Help SkillsShoesTimetransitions
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folder DevelopmentLearningPlayRelationship Building

Valentine’s Day – Sowing The Seeds of Love

By Kathleen Tuite

Tuesday 07 February 2017

The 14th of February, a day when it is traditional to send a card, often anonymously, to a person one is romantically involved with or attracted to. A day which generates millions in sales of cards, flowers, chocolates, and gifts. A day that has a long history dating back to the Romans, with little sight […]
tags AistearCreativityFlowersGardeningKilkennyPlantsScéalta BlogSíoltaValentine's Day
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folder ArtDevelopmentLearningPlay

Celebrate the spiders: Encourage Creativity

By Elaine Hynes

Tuesday 31 January 2017

When reading an article recently about creativity, I was reminded of an experience some time ago in an early years setting. The children were colouring in template worksheets with numbers, letters and corresponding objects. I watched as one little boy coloured his sheet quickly. He then proceeded to turn over the sheet of paper, selected […]
tags AistearArtCommunicatingCreativityDrawingExploringIdentity and BelongingSíoltaSpidersThinkingWell-Being
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folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Playing to strengths

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 17 January 2017

Over the past while I have been thinking about education a lot. Aldo Fortunati and Ariana Pucci, from San Miniato, inspired the practitioners lucky enough to be able to attend their seminars in Cork, Maynooth and Dublin, last October. They spoke passionately about the Tuscan Approach to Early Childhood Education and Care and showed us […]
tags Aldo FortunatiAriana PucciCorkdevelopmentdublinlearningMaynoothPositivityPotentialSan MiniatoTuscan Approach
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folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

Traffic Lights – a child’s perspective

By Milica Atanackovic

Wednesday 04 January 2017

‘I feel a bit sad today,’ said my five-year-old daughter when I collected her. ‘Did anything happen to make you feel sad?’ I asked. She had just started primary school and it was a few weeks into the term. She described a behaviour management strategy in place in her classroom, ‘It’s the traffic lights, when […]
tags AistearBehaviourExclusionlearningplaySelf-EsteemSíoltaTraffic Lights
5561 views
1 comments
folder ArtDevelopmentLearningPlay

Christmas Creativity: Doing it their way

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 06 December 2016

This time of year is magical! Yes, it’s chaotic, noisy, messy, fun, exhilarating…and really, we wouldn’t want it any other way! Between Santa, Christmas Crackers, holly, ivy, snowpeople…there is so much scope for children’s imaginations to have free rein…so much for them to talk about, think about, explore and discover. But, when I see a […]
tags AistearArtchristmasChristmas CreativityCreativeCreativityGlitterSantaSíolta
5480 views
2 comments
folder DevelopmentLearningPlayRelationship Building

Sharing Play Stories

By Dr. Carmel Brennan

Tuesday 22 November 2016

‘The tigers can’t be near the giraffes ‘cos they might hurt them’ I’m intrigued by the stories that children tell in their play. They are stories that one player suggests and another player continues, contributing another idea or initiative. So the stories are emergent because the players have to respond to one another’s ideas and […]
tags Aistearplayplay storiesSíoltastories
4359 views
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folder ArtLearningPlayResearch

Early Years Educators supporting scientific enquiry with young children

By Kathleen Tuite

Tuesday 15 November 2016

– Kathleen Tuite and Máire Corbett   Aistear’s Exploring and Thinking theme is all about supporting children to learn about and make sense of the world around them. Curiosity is one of the learning dispositions central to Aistear. Children are naturally curious and fascinated by plants, animals, nature, cause and effect and how things work. […]
tags Aistearbabiescuriositysciencescience weekSíoltatoddlers
5122 views
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folder DevelopmentLearningRelationship Building

The walls have ears – How does political debate or “adult” dialogue impact on young children’s lives?

By Rita Melia

Tuesday 01 November 2016

It is just amazing how much children hear or assimilate. Watching children engrossed in play one would not expect they are aware of all the things happening or being said in their surrounding environment. I think back to my own childhood and I am struck by recollections which are embedded in my mind as a […]
tags communicationconversationsearslistenlisteningoverhearworries
2190 views
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folder LearningPlay

Playfully becoming the Mathematicians of tomorrow

By Catherine Mc Hugh

Tuesday 18 October 2016

It’s that time of the year again… Maths Week has arrived. Last year, Maths Week Ireland engaged well over a quarter of a million people. What an accomplishment! Children from all corners of Ireland celebrated their passion for learning maths. As early year educators we all know that it is not a time to sit […]
tags AistearMathematiciansMathsMaths WeekMaths Week IrelandplaySíolta
3732 views
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folder LearningPlay

Educating Feisty Children

By Dr. Carmel Brennan

Tuesday 11 October 2016

    Margy Whalley is coming to Dublin. She will present a keynote, along with Aldo Fortunati, at the Early Childhood Ireland conference on Working with Children from birth to 3 years in Marino Institute of Education, Dublin on the 27th October. It’s an occasion not to be missed. Margy has been a long-time friend […]
tags AistearAldo FortunatieducatingfeistylearningMargy WhalleyplaySíolta
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folder LearningRelationship BuildingRisk Assessment

Extraordinary curiosity, full of desire and delight

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 04 October 2016

I’m really looking forward to the last week of October this year. This is the week that Aldo Fortunati, from San Miniato comes back to Ireland. He is speaking in Cork on October 25th and in Dublin (with Margy Whalley from Pen Green) on October 27th. Since I last heard Aldo Fortunati speak in Dublin, […]
tags AistearAldo Fortunatilearningrelationshipsriskrisky playSíoltatrust
3074 views
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folder Learning

How slowing down builds better curriculum

By Lilian Joyce

Monday 19 September 2016

As an early years educator do you feel you have to be constantly doing something all of the time? Yet we know that just watching and listening to children at play is an important part of the role of an educator. Many educators can immediately tell you what activities interest particular children, “He loves playing […]
tags AistearcurriculumlearningplanningSíolta
2385 views
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folder Learning

Sweet like Chocolate: Encouraging a taste for reading

By Maire Corbett

Tuesday 26 July 2016

When I say to a parent, "read to a child", I don't want it to sound like medicine. I want it to sound like chocolate. Mem Fox - As an avid reader I just love these words of wisdom from Mem Fox, a leading Australian author of books for children. There is nothing to beat the [...]
tags AistearbookslearningreadingSíolta
3489 views
2 comments
folder Learning

Developing curriculum for children in mixed age groups

By Kathleen Tuite

Wednesday 29 June 2016

Is your curriculum designed to follow the interests of children? Is it open-ended enough to meet the needs of mixed-age groupings? With the introduction of the second free pre-school year many practitioners are wondering about their curriculum.  How will they cope with children from maybe 2 and a half years old to 5 years plus, all […]
tags AistearcurriculumlearningplaySíolta
21271 views
10 comments
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